Who’s Winning the Tour de France?

Keep up with the leaders of the 2018 Tour

By
Whit Yost

Jul 29, 2018

Getty ImagesJEFF PACHOUD

With Chris Froome officially in the running and a host of must-see stages that are bound to shake things up, the 2018 Tour de France could be the most exciting in recent memory. Here, we’ll keep you up to date on who’s winning the race right now.

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Getty ImagesTim de Waele

Stage 21 - Geraint Thomas

Geraint Thomas won the 2018 Tour de France on Sunday, finishing safely in the peloton at the end of Stage 21. (Alexander Kristoff won the final stage on the Champs-Élysées.) Thomas was joined on the podium by second-place finisher Tom Dumoulin and third-place finisher Chris Froome. Peter Sagan earned his sixth green jersey as winner of the Points Classification, while Julian Alaphilippe took the climber’s polka dot jersey. Pierre Latour won the white jersey as the Tour’s Best Young Rider.

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Getty ImagesJustin Setterfield

Stage 20 - Geraint Thomas

Geraint Thomas was untouchable on the climbs this year, but his track background—he’s a double Olympic gold medalist in the team pursuit—also makes him an impeccable time trialist. As expected, he was comfortably in control during the Tour’s lone individual time trial and cruised home in third to preserve a 1:51 overall lead before tomorrow’s largely ceremonial stage to Paris.

Who’s really winning?

Well, Thomas. But more broadly: Team Sky. It won two stages with Thomas, put riders in first and third overall, and has one of the sport’s most promising young talents on hand in Egan Bernal. Riding his first three-week Grand Tour ever, the 21-year-old Colombian was one of Thomas’ most vital support riders in the mountains and still finished 15th overall. His future looks bright and, as long as he stays with Sky, so does the team’s.

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Getty ImagesJustin Setterfield

Stage 19 - Geraint Thomas

Geraint Thomas remained the overall leader after fending off attacks from all of his rivals at the end of Stage 19, the Tour’s final day in the mountains. Primož Roglič won the stage in Laruns and rose from fourth to third in the General Classification, knocking Chris Froome out of the top three. Thomas finished in second on the stage and now leads the Tour by 2:05 over Tom Dumoulin and 2:24 over Roglič.

Who’s really winning?

With only two stages left in the Tour, Thomas looks assured of winning the race overall. Saturday’s 31K individual time trial is his final test, but given his track record in previous Grand Tours he should perform well enough to defend his lead. The bigger question is who will join him on the final podium in Paris. With Dumoulin, Roglič, and Froome separated by only 32 seconds, second- and third-place overall are still up for grabs.

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Getty ImagesJustin Setterfield

Stage 18 - Geraint Thomas

Geraint Thomas hasn’t given up the yellow jersey since taking it on Stage 11. The Welshman finished safely with the main peloton on Stage 18, losing no time to any of his rivals. (Arnaud Démare won the stage over Christophe Laporte and Alexander Kristoff.) Heading into Stage 19, the final mountain stage of the Tour, Thomas still leads Tom Dumoulin by 1:59 and Chris Froome by 2:31.

Who’s really winning?

Thomas has a comfortable advantage heading into Friday’s final Pyrenean stage, with only Dumoulin as an outside threat to his place atop the General Classification. Team Sky has proven itself to be the strongest squad in the race and should have no trouble protecting Thomas’ lead.

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Getty ImagesJustin Setterfield

Stage 17 - Geraint Thomas

Not only did Geraint Thomas brilliantly defend his yellow jersey on the hardest stage of the Tour, but he actually extended his lead, attacking near the finish on the Col du Portet summit to gain time on his closest rivals. More importantly, Chris Froome cracked 2K from the finish, leaving no doubt as to the true leader of Team Sky. Thomas now leads Sunweb’s Tom Dumoulin by 1:59 and teammate Froome by 2:31.

Who’s really winning?

Thomas has ridden a perfect race so far, and with four stages left he looks assured of taking the biggest win of his career. After a flat stage on Thursday, he faces one last day in the mountains (Friday) and an individual time trial (Saturday). But given the way he’s been riding, only sickness or bad luck could derail him now. Froome was the day's biggest loser. He came into the race hoping to win his fifth Tour, but is now in danger of not even finishing on the podium.

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Getty ImagesTim de Waele

Stage 16 - Geraint Thomas

Geraint Thomas made it through the first of three days in Pyrenees, escorted up and down the day’s major climbs by his Sky teammates. He still leads the Tour by 1:39 over teammate Chris Froome and 1:50 over Sunweb’s Tom Dumoulin. Julian Alaphilippe, who leads the Tour’s King of the Mountains competition, won the day in Luchon for his second stage victory this year.

Who’s really winning?

Thomas survived another day at the top of the General Classification and looks one step closer to winning his first Tour de France. Stage 17 is his last major hurdle: At only 65K in length and with three major summits, it’s the toughest day of the Tour. If Thomas still has the yellow by tomorrow’s finish, he should keep it all the way to Paris.

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Getty ImagesJustin Setterfield

Stage 15 - Geraint Thomas

Geraint Thomas finished safely with the main peloton on Stage 15, meaning the Welshman still wears the yellow jersey as overall leader. Astana’s Magnus Cort Nielsen won the 181.5K stage from Millau to Carcassonne, but sits too far down the General Classification to threaten the overall lead. Thomas still leads the Tour by 1:39 over Sky teammate Chris Froome and 1:50 over Sunweb’s Tom Dumoulin.

Who’s really winning?

Team Sky controlled Stage 15 from start to finish, protecting Thomas and Froome at the front of the bunch while letting a large breakaway filled with out-of-contention riders escape. After a rest day on Monday, the Tour enters the Pyrenees for a series of stages that could decide the final outcome. Can Thomas defend his lead through Paris? Will Froome be ready to pounce should his teammate falter? Does Tom Dumoulin have the legs to defeat both of them? Stage 16 should start to give us some answers.

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Getty ImagesTim de Waele

Stage 14 - Geraint Thomas

Another day in yellow for Geraint Thomas, and the Welshman looked solid on the steep ramps of the Cote de Croix Neuve. Despite attacks from Primoz Roglic and Tom Dumoulin, he never seemed to be in much difficulty and had little trouble reeling in Dumoulin and limiting the gap to Roglic. His Sky teammate Chris Froome, who sits in second overall, also rode strongly.

Who’s really winning?

Team Sky is looking its usual dominant self. After some serious work early in the stage to control the gap to a 32-rider breakaway, Sky finally backed off, allowing the leaders an astonishing 19-minute advantage at the base of the final climb. Are those cracks? Probably not. Rather, Sky seems to have made a tactical decision to save its strength for the Pyrenees.

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Getty ImagesTim de Waele

Stage 13 - Geraint Thomas

Geraint Thomas got through another stage with the race lead safely in hand. Not only did Team Sky notch another day in yellow, they got some welcome help from teams like Trek-Segafredo and Groupama-FDJ. With so many sprinters out of the race already, those left were motivated for the finish and directed their teams to help chase the day’s breakaway, giving Sky a much-needed day off.

Who’s really winning?

Over three days in the Alps, the race saw some of its best sprinters drop out. Double-stage winners Fernando Gaviria and Dylan Groenewegen went home, as did Mark Cavendish, Marcel Kittel, and Andre Greipel. That essentially cleared the field for Peter Sagan, who won the bunch finish today for his third stage victory this year. Barring a mishap, he looks set to tie Erik Zabel’s record of six green jerseys come Paris.

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Getty ImagesPHILIPPE LOPEZ

Stage 12 - Geraint Thomas

Geraint Thomas defended his yellow jersey by winning his second straight mountaintop finish on Thursday. The Welshman sprinted clear of a small group of favorites at the summit of Alpe d’Huez, extending his overall lead to 1:38 over teammate Chris Froome and 1:50 over Sunweb’s Tom Dumoulin.

Who’s really winning?

With Thomas and Froome still in first and second place overall, it remains Team Sky’s Tour to lose. But the competition hasn’t give up yet, particularly Dumoulin and AG2R’s Romain Bardet, the only riders who launched serious attacks against the Sky duo on Stage 12. Look for these two to lead the resistance once the race hits the Pyrenees next week.

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Related Video: Lawson Craddock Rides on After Crash in Stage 1 for an Awesome Cause

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Stage 11 - Geraint Thomas

After biding his time for more than a week, Geraint Thomas finally pulled on the yellow jersey. The Welshman had been sitting only a handful of seconds away from the overall lead since last Monday’s team time trial, and after winning Stage 11’s summit finish in La Rosière, he finally moved to the top of the General Classification. Thomas now leads the Tour by 1:25 over Sky teammate Chris Froome and 1:44 over Sunweb’s Tom Dumoulin.

Who’s really winning?

The General Classification finally erupted on the slopes of La Rosière, with Team Sky on track to win its sixth Tour de France. Dumoulin and Movistar’s Alejandro Valverde did their best to put Sky under pressure, but the British team never let them get too far up the road. On the final climb, first Thomas then Froome rode away from the GC group, with Thomas winning the stage and Froome finishing third. The teammates now sit first- and second-place overall, making the 2018 Tour Sky’s race to lose.

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Getty ImagesTim de Waele

Stage 10 - Greg Van Avermaet

Greg Van Avermaet valiantly defended his yellow jersey on the first of three days in the Alps, keeping his spot as the overall leader yet again. The Belgian went on the attack early in Stage 10 and hung on to finish fourth. He now leads the Tour by 2:22 over Geraint Thomas and 3:10 over Alejandro Valverde. Julian Alaphilippe, meanwhile, won the stage and took the polka dot jersey as the new leader of the King of the Mountains competition.

Who’s really winning?

Despite extending his lead, Van Avermaet is not a true threat to win the 2018 Tour. Team Sky looked formidable in controlling the race behind the breakaway, with three riders cresting the summit of the day’s final climb while leading the group containing the Tour’s overall contenders. With two tough Alpine days ahead, Sky looks ready to blow the race apart.

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Getty ImagesTim de Waele

Stage 9 - Greg Van Avermaet

After nine stages, Greg Van Avermaet still wears the yellow, adding to his lead on the cobbles of Stage 9 by winning the day’s Bonus Sprint and finishing second at the finish in Roubaix. He now leads Geraint Thomas by 43 seconds and Philippe Gilbert by 44. John Degenkolb won the stage, with Yves Lampaert coming in third. Van Avermaet will carry the lead into the Tour’s first rest day on Monday, with the Alps coming Tuesday.

Who’s really winning?

Today was a bad day for several GC contenders, but none more so than Richie Porte, who crashed 10K into the stage and broke his collarbone. It’s the second consecutive year that the Australian has crashed out the Tour, both times on Stage 9. As the race heads into its first rest day, Alejandro Valverde leads the “Virtual GC” with Chris Froome close on his heels. Three hard days in the Alps come next, so expect the GC picture to become much clearer. Van Avermaet will most likely lose the yellow to one of the overall favorites.

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Stage 8 - Greg Van Avermaet

Dylan Groenewegen won his second stage in a row, but Greg Van Avermaet held onto the yellow jersey for another day by finishing with the main peloton on Stage 8 in Amiens. The Belgian added a second to his lead thanks to a Bonus Sprint in Loeuilly, and now leads Team Sky’s Geraint Thomas by 7 seconds and his BMC teammate, Tejay van Garderen, by 9. Sunday’s Stage 9 features 22K of cobblestone roads, and Van Avermaet is a master at riding them. Look for him to keep the yellow through Monday’s rest day.

Who’s really winning?

Dan Martin, who finished sixth in last year’s Tour, won Thursday’s stage atop the Mûr de Bretagne and looked ready to score another top-10 finish overall. But a crash today saw the Irishman lose more than a minute—a major setback, considering how densely packed the GC contenders currently sit. The extent of his injuries is still unclear, but with Sunday’s cobbled stage to Roubaix up next, he could lose his shot at another high finish at the Tour.

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Getty ImagesChris Graythen

Stage 7 - Greg Van Avermaet

For the fifth day in a row, Greg Van Avermaet pulled on the yellow jersey. The Belgian finished 16th in the field sprint at the end of Stage 7, the longest of this year’s Tour. Dylan Groenewegen won the stage, ahead of Fernando Gaviria and Peter Sagan. However, none of these riders pose a threat to Van Avermaet’s place atop the General Classification.

Who’s really winning?

Van Avermaet actually extended his lead today, thanks to the 3-second time bonus he scored by winning a Bonus Sprint in Nonvilliers-Grandhoux. He now leads Geraint Thomas by 6 seconds and his BMC teammate Tejay van Garderen by 8 second. Saturday’s Stage 8 is not expected to shake up the GC, but Sunday’s cobbled stage to Roubaix certainly will.

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Getty ImagesTim de Waele

Stage 6 - Greg Van Avermaet

Greg Van Avermaet finished 12th on the uphill finish atop Mûr de Bretagne, which was just enough to hold onto the yellow jersey. (Dan Martin won the stage ahead of Pierre Latour and Alejandro Valverde.) Van Avermaet leads by 3 seconds over Geraint Thomas and 5 seconds over BMC teammate Tejay van Garderen. With two easy transitional stages up next followed by Sunday’s cobbled stage to Roubaix, he has a good chance of keeping the yellow until the Tour’s first rest day.

Who’s really winning?

Lost amid Chris Froome’s doping drama was the fact that his teammate, Geraint Thomas, was quietly building a case to lead Team Sky should Froome not be allowed to race. Thomas, who won the Tour’s opening time trial last year, took June’s Critérium du Dauphiné, a mountainous warmup that often serves as a predictor of what happens in July. The Welshman was not involved in the crash that took down Froome on Stage 1, which means he’s essentially lost no time so far. He’s also an accomplished Classics rider who can certainly handle himself on the cobbles of Stage 9. Should Van Avermaet falter, look for Thomas to take yellow before the race hits the Alps next week.

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Getty ImagesTim de Waele

Stage 5 - Greg Van Avermaet

Greg Van Avermaet finished seventh on Stage 5’s tough uphill finish in Quimper, successfully defending his yellow jersey. Peter Sagan won the stage (his second of the Tour), but due to time lost during Monday’s team time trial was not a threat to take overall lead. Van Avermaet now leads his BMC teammate, Tejay van Garderen, by 2 seconds. Philippe Gilbert still sits third overall, at only 3 seconds behind. Tomorrow’s finish really suits Gilbert, making him a serious threat to Van Avermaet’s spell in yellow.

Who’s really winning?

It’s still a little early, but when it comes to the Tour’s Points Classification, Sagan looks on track to win a record-tying sixth green jersey. The world champion has finished either first or second on each of the four road stages so far, giving him a hefty lead in the competition. Assuming he makes it to Paris, the green jersey looks like it’s his.

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Getty ImagesTim de Waele

Stage 4 - Greg Van Avermaet

Greg Van Avermaet finished safely in the bunch at the end of Stage 4, meaning he’ll spend another day in the yellow jersey. Fernando Gaviria won his second stage of the Tour, but even with the 10-second time bonus, the Colombian could not overtake Van Avermaet in the General Classification. The next two stages are tough, with lots of climbing on tap as the race heads through the heart of Brittany. But Van Avermaet can handle it, giving him a chance to hold onto his jersey for a few more stages.

Who’s really winning?

After only four stages, Sunweb’s Tom Dumoulim is the current leader of the “virtual GC” as the best-placed of the Tour’s overall contenders. The Dutchman avoided crashes during the first three road stages, and his team finished fifth in Stage 3’s team trial. Two challenging stages in Brittany lie ahead, but things look good so far for the 2017 Giro d’Italia winner.

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Getty ImagesChris Graythen

Stage 3 - Greg Van Avermaet

Team BMC won today’s 35K team time trial in Cholet, and in doing so put Greg Van Avermaet into the yellow jersey. Team Sky and Quick-Step Floors finished the day in second and third, 4 and 7 seconds behind BMC. Van Avermaet is tied with teammate Tejay van Garderen on time, but took yellow by virtue of being placed higher at the day’s start. Team Sky’s Geraint Thomas sits third overall at 3 seconds behind, and Quick-Step’s Philippe Gilbert is fourth at 5 seconds behind.

Who’s really winning?

It’s still a long way to Paris, but Rigoberto Uran must be feeling happy. The Colombian, who finished second overall last year, lost no time during the dangerous opening stages this weekend. His team, EF Education First–Drapac, finished only 35 seconds behind BMC and even closer to Sky and Mitchelton-Scott—all teams whose GC leaders lost nearly a minute after crashes on Stage 1. If Uran stays out of trouble during the rest of the Tour’s first week, he’ll enter the Alps well positioned to challenge for the overall victory.

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Getty ImagesTim de Waele

Stage 2 - Peter Sagan

Peter Sagan won Stage 2 in La Roche sur Yon, taking the yellow jersey as the Tour’s new leader. He edged out Sonny Colbrelli and Arnaud Demare after a crash inside the final 2K eliminated most of the field (including Fernando Gaviria, who entered the day wearing yellow). Sagan now leads by 6 seconds over Gaviria and 10 seconds over Colbrelli.

Who’s really winning?

It’s still too soon to say, but tomorrow’s team time trial will certainly affect the General Classification. Look for Team Sky and Team BMC, two of the world’s best TTT squads, to use Stage 3 to put Chris Froome and Richie Porte back into the GC picture. After two tense, crash-filled days, riders like Romain Bardet, Vincenzo Nibali, and Rigoberto Uran must be pleased to have come through unscathed—and with nearly a minute advantage over Froome, Porte, and Nairo Quintana.

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Getty ImagesJustin Setterfield

Stage 1 - Fernando Gaviria

Fernando Gaviria kicked-off his debut Tour de France in style, winning Stage 1 over Peter Sagan and Marcel Kittel. Only the second Colombian to ever wear the yellow jersey, Gaviria leads by 4 seconds over Sagan and 6 seconds over Kittel. With another sprint finish expected on Stage 2, Gaviria has a good chance of holding on to the yellow for another day. But he needs to be careful: With 10-, 6-, and 4-second time bonuses available on the finish line, Sagan and Kittel could snatch it.

Who’s really winning?

Stage 1 gave us a stunning reminder of how dangerous the Tour’s opening stages can be, as Chris Froome, Richie Porte, and Adam Yates all crashed, while Nairo Quintana suffered a flat tire a few kilometers from the finish time. All four riders lost a considerable amount of time. So while it’s still too soon to say who’s really winning, the task became much harder for these four—and much easier for the men racing against them.

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